Mandi Rice With Fries @ Madinat Zayed Al-Sha’bi Restaurant, Liwa

mandi rice served with with fries?

we were in madinat zayed, liwa – the largest town in al-gharbia – in the western region of abu dhabi, near rub al khali desert hangin out at a desert hotel ‘tilal liwa’. (click here for my post on ‘tilal liwa hotel’) we’re desperate for rice (orang malaysia musti mau makan nasi! haha) so we left the hotel and did some cruising around town.

it would seem like madinat zayed is a small town, but then we saw the big ‘city mall’ and stumbled upon this restaurant nearby. when you take risk like stopping in the middle of somewhere for lunch, you’d just hope and pray that the food is edible, if not good.

but the food at madinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant is not only good – it’s mighty delicious! served with fries!

 

 

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maidinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant is very near ‘city mall’ at madinat zayed city. just drive around the area and you definitely will not miss this peach-colored building at one corner.

 

very spacious, clean and comfy. the seating area is very homely too.

 

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we finally found mandi rice in liwa! the moment the big plate came we were salivating. looks GOOD! also, it’s unusual to see mandi rice served with potato fries and mixed veggie together so we were very curious too. interesting, and it works, because I love fries!

 

the grilled chicken is absolutely delicious. well marinated and grilled to perfection – leaving the chicken still tender and juicy on the inside.

 

one of mr. khairul’s favorite meat style is madfoon – which is cooked in layers of aluminum foil to hold all the delicious juices. once its unwrapped, you can bet its aroma hits you right up the nose and into your grumbling tummy! tantalizing!

 

delicious meat madfoon unwrapped~

 

served with fattoush salad~

 

mandi rice is served with a plate of veggie. some mandi restaurant offers plate of just cucumber and rocket leaf; some has cut-up cabbages and carrots or lettuce.

now THIS is the best complimentary veggie ever because it’s my favorite fattoush salad – arabic salad made up of cut-up cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage mixed with ‘sumac’ powder to give it the yummy sour taste. there’s usually toasted pieces of pita bread which is the ‘fattoush’ itself. though this fattoush salad is incomplete, it’s still in my top 5!

 

 

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next time you’re in LIWA, western region of abu dhabi, try getting lost at madinat zayed and see if you stumble upon the madinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant!

Muscat, Oman : Old Muttrah Souq & Camel Mandi Oman

for mr. khairul’s birthday on march 8th, he celebrated it by taking all of us – his wife and kiddos, his mom and aunt and sis to muscat in oman! this was my 3rd time in oman since living in the UAE (united arab emirates). to me, oman is a beautiful country with its own natural characteristic like the rocky mountainous range which you can see all over the country. 

click here to read about the time we spent 2012 hari raya haji in muscat. and this othe posting is when mr. khairul’s whole family (his mak and bapak, his bapak’s sis maklong, his siblings tina, asrar and sofia) went for a musandam dhow ride to see the dolphins, way back in 2010. read about it here.

 

here’s me and sis-in-law tina at the UAE-oman border. we were immediately greeted by this amazing sight – the beautiful black rocky mountains. this is oman!

 

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our designated tour guide was this cool couple abg yuzly and kak anis. they just moved to oman from kuwait. I must say they are one of the most friendliest strangers I’ve met in a long time. tak pernah jumpa, tak pernah kenal tapi terus ngam macam dah lama kenal. both husband and wife exude warmth and sincerety. we were in good hands while in muscat!

 

abang yuzly suggested this yummy thai place for lunch. it’s ‘sabai dee thai foods’. nothing feels better than enjoying good ‘ol asian food while away in a middle eastern country! haha.

 

we had the unforgettable tom yam seafood, soft juicy steamed fish, crispy ikan 3-flavoured & squid somtam (thai salad). semua sedap. everything tasted good, especially the tomyam and ikan 3-rasa. crispy on the outside, and juicy fishy flesh on the inside. satisfying!

 

highly recommended by mr. khairul after recommendation from bro yuzly. I think it’s green tea with milk. it’s served like this, and then you stir and end up with a pale green drink. I don’t really fancy plain green tea on its own, but this bitter-sweet drink was really satisfying! I totally love it. it’s new and refreshing. glad I gave it a try!

 

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the one place to go to shop for antiques is muttrah souq – the oldest market in oman, perhaps in the whole arab world – probably about 200 years! it has got lots of nook and corners that somehow leads you to more and more little shops. you’d think that it’s just a small souq, but its long and winding narrow lanes might get you confused!

me? I love it – it’s like travelling back in time!

 

mom-in-law, maklang & sis-in-law tina with kak anis our awesome tour guide plus driver plus hostess (hot tea and karipap panas! yum!). she had just moved to oman from kuwait and was such a good sport driving us in, out and all about muttrah souq. thanks so much!

 

top right picture : mom-in-law and aunt-in-law maklang choosing their favorite arabic perfume. they’re sold in small bottles like minyak attar in mekah but these ones in oman don’t smell that strong – just sweet, and some are fruity macam bau perfume ralph lauren! top left picture : my eldest boy khaleef wearing the distinct recognizable omani cap (kopiah) and here they’re called ‘kumma’. it’s so easy to spot an omani in dubai – just for this one characteristic.

 

oh, what myriads of sights, sounds and smells when you walk in muttrah souq!

• sights : colors of pashmina, cloth, jubah of all designs and pattern, and bling blings on bags and jewelery
• sounds : the crowd; people bargaining for a price, haggling, calling out a wandering child (kahfi!!! not too far!!! kazim, come back! khaleef hold your brother!) hihi
• smell : the frankincense of course (kemenyan wangi) – for which oman is most famous for since forever, and distinct smell of arabic perfumes

 

love this shot! especially since I had to quickly take a snap! I’m not too comfortable taking pictures while the owner stared and expecting me to buy something from his shop. sorry dude! I just want a picture of your beautiful shop!

 

look at all the colors!

 

enjoying my stroll inside the muttrah souq while mom-in-law, aunt-in-law maklang and sis-in-law tina shop shop shop!

 

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before we leave muscat, oman, our designated tour guides bro yuzly and kak anis had one more yumminess to offer – a lunch date at a mandi restaurant in oman, specializing in – camel meat! yeap. ONLY camel meat.

 

no chicken, no lamb meat. JUST camels at this restaurant. the top one in this picture is grilled camel meat, and the bottom one is fried camel meat. each one with its own unique taste that I love. it’s well-marinated as I can taste the spices, and the texture is also very soft and tender – not liat at all. I can eat them all! sedap sangat!

 

the plate of rice that we shared among 12-13 of us! that’s A LOT of rice, I tell ya! the white one is like our nasi minyak, while the other one is like nasi tomato but not quite. lebih kurang. I prefer the ‘nasi minyak’ because it’s more milder than the orange one.

 

how big is the plate of oman mandi rice and camel meat? see lah. hihi.

 

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old muttraq soup, thai food in oman and oman camel mandi. we shop, we eat, we happy – owh, what a holiday!

it was a happy weekend for us, and the day that my mr. khairul turned 35. however, speaking of march 8th, I can’t help mentioning MH370, that went missing on that very date. at the time of writing, the plane is still missing and reportedly ended its flight path in the vast indian ocean. my thoughts and doa go the the perished souls on board, and the grieving family. may Allah continue to give them strength. Allah knows best.

My 1st Camel Mandi @ Emirates Resthouse Restaurants & Kitchen, Abu Dhabi

as a self-professed mandi-freak who has been staying in an arab country for over 5 years, I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve NEVER eaten camel mandi – until last week. such shame, considering the fact that hoards of camels can be seen casually crossing highways in this country. hihi.

I’ve had camel satay and camel burger before, but camel mandi – this was my first!

 

 

yes, I’m a camel-mandi virgin who has found delicious glory at ‘emirates resthouse restaurants & kitchen’ in abu dhabi. haha. camel mandi at last!

thanks to our abu dhabi buddy helmey, who was more than happy to show us the way to one of the best (if not THE ONLY) camel mandi around town.

 

abu dhabians helmey & wifey mimi – thanks for showing us the way to camel mandi! yum! ‘emirates resthouse restaurants & kitchen’ is in the al-mussaffah area, abu dhabi, opposite carrefour. it’s quite a maze once you’re around the shoplot area, so good luck in spotting the green signage!

 

so nice and authentic to see an actual arab in arab kandoora manning the counter at a restaurant. selalunya it’s arab in normal clothings or indians! kurang la feel makan kat restoran arab kan!

 

the restaurant is very simple and small with minimal décor of just pictures of UAE leaders on the wall. well, no matter – the most important is it’s clean!

 

one look, and this place looks like a place to take ablution in a mosque – when actually this is the sections in the restaurant if you choose to sit down cross-legged to enjoy your meal. space is quite constraint, but there’s always the table-and-chair option.

 

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first, let’s talk about the mandi rice itself – soft beads of carbo delight that’s so soft and delicious. no extra taste of overpowering herbs that I don’t like. in short, I absolutely LOVE the rice. this one comes with the chicken – tasty, tender, tantalizing – as good plate of chicken mandi.

 

its lamb mandi is equally delicious – the lamb has a nice texture, and deliciously marinated. however, as good as this plate of lamb mandi is, it’s unfortunately beaten by the star meat of the day – the CAMEL mandi!

 

ladies and gents, THIS is the plate of camel mugalgal (‘mugalgal’ means ‘fried meat’ if I’m not mistaken) served with a plate of mandi rice.

 

I’ve eaten camel satay and camel burger – none came close to the taste and texture of the CAMEL meat that I had at ‘emirates resthouse restaurants & kitchen’ here in al-mussaffah. DELICIOUS. in fact, it tasted like a very tasty medium-well steak you would normally eat.

put a side dish of mint sauce, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies – you’ll get one posh western dish, I’m sure!

the camel meat has a nice texture that’s easy on the teeth – soft and tender. not too hard nor rubbery. just nice. and I just LOVE the taste. only khaleef tried the camel, and though he’s not too excited about it like us, he said its’ not too bad (for a picky eater, that’s a GOOD comment! haha)

eat it on its own, or eat it with the mandi rice – it’s all good. highly recommended to all you adventurous foodies out there!

 

as usual; a mandi rice dish is incomplete without the chili-tomatoes condiment, hot meat broth, and a plate of fresh veggies. my favorite accompanying veggies is the rocket leaves or jerjer leaves, but this one is just cut up lettuce and cucumber. jadi lah!

 

overall, I absolutely enjoyed my first experience eating CAMEL mandi, I would recommend it to all you curious eaters – especially here at ‘emirates resthouse restaurants & kitchen’ because the other dishes here are also quite satisfying.

 

again, thanks helmey and mimi for joining us for our first camel mandi experience, and to helmey for showing the way. confirm datang lagi!

 

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after much googling, I found out that you can get camel mugalgal at mandilicious. will check it out soon. and if you wanna try camel burger, you can head on to ‘turath al-mandi’, or ‘best burger’ in dubai marina, (exactly across the marina behind dora bay). you can also get all sorts of camel burger, camel shawarma or camel kebab in zaina restaurant in al-barsha.

happy hunting, camel-eaters!

Mandi Rice & Sweet Kunafah @ Noor Al Mandi, Al Qusais

we went a little further from our usual makan ‘playground’ to find this pretty little gem of a place that serves the usual mandi rice with chicken, meat and fish. plus this fantastic arabic delight called ‘kunafah’ – sweet, and delicious!

we found it at ‘noor al mandi’ in al-qusais.

 

my eldest son, the mandi rice-freak. yeap, that’s my boy alright!

 

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the first thing that caught my attention (apart from the huge light-up signboard NOOR AL MANDI outside) is the beautiful interior. the other mandi rice restaurant with really beautiful interior that we’ve been to was ‘turath al-mandi’ (click here to read my review), and personally to me, ‘noor al mandi’ could be second in comparison.

however, noor al mandi could be a winner because while turath al mandi charges more for its dishes (a plate of mandi rice cost about dhs40 or so), the dishes at noor al mandi are more affordable. so you get to dine at a pretty place, without paying more!

 

classy hallway, with wooden carved sliding doors. curtains in majlees give that authentic feel, but these sliding doors give extra privacy.

 

beautiful!

 

this is IN the room. gorgeous!

 

this is the main majless. gorgeous and so classy! complete with a tv. (taken from noor al mandi fb page – click here)

 

comfy as any majlees would provide. satisfied with the comfort, and awed by its loveliness.

 

this is the family section with tables and chairs. also with sliding door, and instead of the mosaic wall décor, there is a picture of cities in yemen with the signature building, that fills up an entire wall. I like it!

 

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there are so many types of cooking-of-the-meat to choose from – the meat muqalqal, meat burmah, meat madbee, meat zorbiyan, meah madfoon and meat mathgoot – the list seemed endless! but mr. khairul’s favorite is the madfoon and zorbiyan.

 

we got the meat madfoon – a favorite of mr. khairul. the rice is soft, and the meat so tender and juicy. what else to say? it’s well-seasoned, cooked to perfection and delicious to taste.

 

a must for the boys – chicken mandi. as delicious as it gets.

 

now lemme talk about THIS dish. this surprisingly satisfying dish! this seemed to be a specialty – ‘farsh fish’, to be eaten with the mandi rice.

 

I must say I’m not much of a fan of fish mandi, and I don’t like to ratah lauk (eat fish flesh without rice). but this amazing ‘farsh fish’ dish from noor al mandi is VERY DELICIOUS! it’s well-marinated, resulting in the fantastic taste of the fish down to the core – which makes it so good to eat on its own (which I will never do when it comes to fish). the flesh is super soft and juicy too.

me, a non-fish fan, eating this ‘farsh fish’ dish at noor al mandi on its own. that says a lot about the tastiness of this dish.

 

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I’ve been searching for a mandi restaurant that serves kunafa or kanafeh, and finally found it. noor al mandi, I thank thee!

 

in layman’s term, kunafah is simply the arabic cheesecake. haha. it’s ‘cheese pastry soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup’. the type of cheese they usually use is called ‘nabulsi cheese’, spread on the pastry before the thick sugar syrup. describing it now makes me really WANT IT! it’s THAT good. especially when served hot!

 

I think that the person making this must be really careful not to overdo the sugar syrup. a little too much, and the dessert is spoilt; being too sweet, or soggy. the syrup must be just right, to give it the awesome sweet taste and the great crispy-chewy texture of the pastry and cheese. a sinfully delicious dessert – and I like it a little bit burnt!

 

 

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we ate at the family area. this is the entrance to the common dining area.

 

mr. khairul making friends with the waiting staff. most of their staff are from yemen and are so obliging and friendly. mr. khairul had the pleasure of sharing his experience visiting their beautiful country countless times; and in turn they were so excited to know someone who has been to their country.

 

 

‘noor al mandi’ is highly recommended for the good service, ‘fish farsh’ dish, and its kunafah is worth a second and third helping. remember to eat it while it’s still hot!

it’s situated at burj al noor tower, amman street, al nahda 2, in al quasis. it’s in the stretch of shoplots opposite the large madina mall.